Carrefour opens third outlet at Thika Road Mall

The Thika Road Mall store becomes the third Carrefour store in Kenya, with the first two at The Hub in Karen and at Two Rivers Mall/FILE

By KENNEDY KANGETHE, NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 15 – French Retailer Carrefour has opened its third branch at Thika Road Mall replacing Nakumatt who were the anchor tenants at the mall.

The retailer says the TRM branch opens in a portion of the space vacated by Nakumatt as major refurbishment work gets underway in the 5,000 square metre selling area.

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The store currently stocks the most common consumer goods on the upper level of the hypermarket, before opening the lower section by mid-2018.

Nakumatt which has closed over a dozen outlets is facing serious financial challenges closed the TRM Branch in September citing stocking challenges.

The mall was opened in 2013 and was the first mega shopping complex along the Thika superhighway targeting customers from the populous Roysambu, Zimmerman, Githurai, Kasarani, Kahawa and Ruaraka neighbourhoods.

“When fully operational later next year, The Thika Road Mall store will stock over 30,000 items, and host some of our specialist sections such as, fresh produce, groceries, a fresh bakery, and a butchery, which have been received very well by customers. This will not only create great moments for our shoppers but also have a positive impact on local suppliers who provide us with 99 percent of all the items we stock,” says Franck Moreau, Country Manager, at Majid Al Futtaim who hold the exclusive franchise rights to operate Carrefour in 38 countries.

The Thika Road Mall store becomes the third Carrefour store in Kenya, with the first two at The Hub in Karen and at Two Rivers Mall, opened in May 2016 and March 2017, respectively.

It brings total staff at Carrefour in Kenya to 800, with 200 already assigned to the Thika Road Mall store.

The retailer is still seeking opportunities to open stores in strategic locations within Kenya and the rest of the greater East African region in the coming years.